American Century Companies Inc. Has $131.58 Million Stock Position in American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK

Key Points

• American Century Companies Inc. reduced its stake in American Water Works by 31.2%, owning 891,959 shares after selling 405,323 shares in the first quarter.
• Several hedge funds have adjusted their positions in American Water Works, with a notable increase in holdings from Guggenheim Capital LLC and Jump Financial LLC during the fourth quarter.
• Analysts have mixed views on the stock, with price targets ranging from $128.00 to $156.00, and an average rating of "Hold" from various analysts.

American Century Companies Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) by 31.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 891,959 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 405,323 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned about 0.46% of American Water Works worth $131,582,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Ethic Inc. grew its position in American Water Works by 61.4% in the first quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 13,866 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,038,000 after acquiring an additional 5,275 shares in the last quarter. Element Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works in the first quarter valued at $2,851,000. Aberdeen Group plc lifted its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 40.0% during the 1st quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 429,304 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $63,412,000 after acquiring an additional 122,720 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 3.0% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 780,312 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $115,106,000 after buying an additional 22,615 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Horizon Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 5.0% in the 1st quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 2,799 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $410,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.58% of the company's stock.

American Water Works Stock Performance

Shares of AWK stock traded up $1.27 on Friday, reaching $147.14. The stock had a trading volume of 383,575 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,421,937. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 12 month low of $118.74 and a 12 month high of $155.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.49, a P/E/G ratio of 3.45 and a beta of 0.65. The firm's 50-day moving average is $142.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is $140.97. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The utilities provider reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.53 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $1.28 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.22 billion. American Water Works had a net margin of 21.91% and a return on equity of 10.34%. American Water Works's quarterly revenue was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.42 EPS. American Water Works has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.700-5.750 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.8275 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 12th. This represents a $3.31 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. American Water Works's payout ratio is presently 59.64%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other American Water Works news, CAO Melissa K. Wikle sold 2,825 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.28, for a total transaction of $404,766.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 7,572 shares in the company, valued at $1,084,916.16. This trade represents a 27.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.11% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Mizuho lifted their price target on American Water Works from $148.00 to $149.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Argus raised their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of American Water Works from $138.00 to $128.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of American Water Works from $156.00 to $151.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on American Water Works from $147.00 to $141.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $143.30.

American Water Works Company Profile

American Water Works Company, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides water and wastewater services in the United States. It offers water and wastewater services to approximately 1,700 communities in 14 states serving approximately 3.5 million active customers. The company serves residential customers; commercial customers, including food and beverage providers, commercial property developers and proprietors, and energy suppliers; fire service and private fire customers; industrial customers, such as large-scale manufacturers, mining, and production operations; public authorities comprising government buildings and other public sector facilities, such as schools and universities; and other utilities and community water and wastewater systems.